Tribe takes Puerto Rican shortstop Pantoja in ninth round

By Alec Shirkey / MLB.com

CLEVELAND -- The Tribe dipped its feet into the waters of the Caribbean for its ninth-round pick in the First-Year Player Draft.

Shortstop Alexis Pantoja, a product of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, was selected by the Indians with 278th overall pick in the Draft. And though the 6-foot, 160-pound shortstop doesn't have the typical size of a Day 2 draftee, he does have the speed and fielding prowess of one.

Committed to play college ball at Alabama State, Pantoja is a player that could stand to add weight and functional strength. He relies mostly on contact and has the ability to continue doing that at the professional level as a switch-hitter.

"He hits from the left side and is a plus runner," Alabama State head coach Mervyl Melendez said to the university. "It's not often you get a five-tool player these days, but Pantojas has shown that ability at a premium position. We expect him to be our everyday shortstop once he arrives."

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.

Bradley falls to third round; plans to sign with Tribe

Bobby Bradley might have heard his name called on Day 1 of the First-Year Player Draft, considering he publicly stated that only a first- or second-round selection would persuade him to forego college. But even with concerns over his signability, the Indians were willing to take a chance that Bradley would sign even after falling to Round 3.

That gamble seems to have paid off, as Bradley plans on signing with Cleveland.

"I don't think I'm going to see campus," he said on Friday.

"I had a round set in my mind. Top-two round money. And even though I got drafted in the third round, [the Indians] gave me top-two round money, so that kind of influenced me to go that way."

For Bradley, his choice of becoming a professional baseball player was an intensely personal one -- so much so that he waited until his mind was made up to inform his mother, Doloris.

"I didn't even talk to her about it before I made the decision. I called her afterwards and told her I was an Indian now," Bradley said.

The Indians used the 97th overall pick in the Draft on Bradley, a first baseman out of Harrison Central High School in Mississippi. He had been ranked as the 68th-best prospect in this year's class by MLB.com, thanks to a tantalizing combination of size, plus-contact and major power potential.

"He's a big, physical left-handed hitter," Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant said. "Has really done a lot to change his body, has gotten in really great shape. He's an elite power bat for a high-school kid."

Bradley has also spent time at catcher and third base with Harrison Central, and many questions remain as to where exactly he could fit in on the field at the professional level, considering his limited range as a defender.

However, there is little doubt that the true strengths of Bradley's game lie in his bat, which is where the Indians hope the growing young lefty can truly blossom at the professional level. He hit .442 with 23 home runs and 91 RBIs over 84 career high school games while also showing surprising patience at the plate for a high-schooler, walking 29 times in 22 games.

"The sky's the limit on that, because he can swing it with the best of them," Harrison Central head coach Pat Olmi said. "He gets his money's worth with his hacks."

Olmi was not surprised Bradley said he would sign. However, he was surprised that it was the Tribe that wound up drafting his first baseman, as opposed to another pair of Major League clubs.

"The Marlins and the Brewers had showed interest, too. I thought they were really interested. But I'm glad for him," Olmi said.

Bradley joins lefty Justus Sheffield (No. 31) and right-hander Grant Hockin (No. 61) as prep players taken by the Indians in the first three rounds. Sheffield will reportedly sign with the Indians after he was offered a $1.6 million signing bonus as part of his contract.

Bradley would be far from the first professional baseball player to graduate from Harrison Central, which produced Major Leaguers in Greg Hibbard and former Tribe outfielder Matt Lawton. Bradley's coach thinks he'll be able to tread the same path sooner rather than later.

"I think he could move up quick," Olmi said. "He loves the game, he studies it. I think you're going to be surprised how quick he moves up."

As for Bradley, he relishes the fact he got a call from any Major League team, let alone one that had scouted him as much as the Indians had. With his decision made, he can simply bask in the joy of Friday's accomplishment.

"I'd have been happy with any team, but knowing that the Indians showed a lot of interest made it even better," Bradley said.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.

Tribe takes 'best prospect in Minnesota' in Round 4

The Tribe ventured out into the north country for its fourth-round pick in the First-Year Player Draft.

At No. 128 overall, the Indians selected towering southpaw Sam Hentges -- listed at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds -- out of Mounds View High School in Minnesota. He was not ranked among the top 200 prospects eligible for the Draft by MLB.com, but he is considered one of the best pro prospects in the state due to his size and potential to develop a powerful delivery.

"Sam was a guy that we'd been following for a while," Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant said. "He's young, still 17 years old. He has a big 6-foot-7 frame and there's a lot of projection. He can throw up to 92 [mph], he's got a good curveball, good feel for a changeup, and for up there, a very good delivery, very good arm action."

Hentges was named the 2013-14 Gatorade Minnesota Baseball Player of the Year after posting a 1.00 ERA through seven games as a senior, registering 66 strikeouts through 36 innings pitched. He has a fastball that tops out in the low 90's and a breaking ball that sits in the low-70 mph range. However, he has also dealt with command issues and issued 26 walks last season.

Hentges also spent time at first base for Mounds View, where he and his teammates are seeking back-to-back Minnesota state titles this month after winning the championship in 2013.

"The whole thing was a blur but it was definitely a blast playing at Target Field and winning it with a bunch of guys you grew up playing ball with," Hentges said to CBS Minnesota. "It's a dream come true."

Hentges was one of five high-school prospects to land with the Tribe on Day 2 of the Draft. He has signed a letter of intent with the Arkansas Razorbacks but could very well follow fellow draftees Bobby Bradley and Justus Sheffield by signing with the Indians out of high school.

At the least, Hentges would be acquainted with the type of weather experienced in northeast Ohio.

"We're talking about Minnesota. The weather up there is not conducive to playing year-round," analyst Jim Callis said on MLB Network. "So this is an outside guy, projection guy. But I don't think there's any doubt [he's] the best prospect in Minnesota."

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.

Merryweather latest college hurler taken by Tribe

Through five rounds of the First-Year Player Draft, the Indians managed to find balance.

At No. 158 overall, the Tribe drafted right-handed pitcher Julian Merryweather out of Oklahoma Baptist University, marking the first time the college senior has been drafted in his career. He went 12-3 with a 1.07 ERA in his final season with the Bison, throwing four shutouts and striking out 132 in 100 2/3 innings -- all numbers that led the team.

"We liked his arm strength. He was a guy that could throw up to 95 [mph]," Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant said. "Good feel for a changeup, another good strike-thrower and a guy that we'd been following for a while. He was a guy that was at a smaller school that [our scout] identified early on and did a good job staying on him. And we have a guy that has good pitches on the table and can start for us."

With their first seven picks, the Indians took four pitchers to three position players and four high-school prospects to three college products.

Merryweather possesses a fastball that regularly sits between 90 and 92 mph to go along with an improved secondary arsenal that features a breaking ball and changeup. With Merryweather at the front of the rotation, the Bison went a school-best 55-9 in 2014 and won two games in the Avista-NAIA World Series.

"We weren't really trying to go high school to college, college to high school, but I think there was a good mix of the whole group," Grant said of the Tribe's haul on Day 2. "We had some established college hitters with some upside high school players and pitchers."

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.

Tribe's sixth-rounder Allen gets rave reviews

There was no shortage of Major League comparisons for the Tribe's sixth-round Draft pick on Friday.

Greg Allen, a speedy junior center fielder out of San Diego State, went to the Indians with the 188th overall pick, as the club continues to add organizational depth in the outfield on Day 2 of the First-Year Player Draft. Among the players his game resembles: Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin, after whom Allen says he models his game.

"He is sort of lanky and lean, kind of like Cameron Maybin," analyst Jonathan Mayo said on MLB Network. "He doesn't have the power that Maybin can sometimes show, but in terms of the way he plays defense, he has a chance to be a really good center fielder. I think he's a top-of-the-order guy when all is said and done."

Allen projects primarily as a leadoff hitter with a straightforward compact swing. He doesn't offer much in the way of power, hitting just two home runs as a college player, but he did put up a .304/.389/.377 line to go with 61 stolen bases in three seasons with the Aztecs.

The 21-year-old switch-hitter entered the season as a second-team preseason All-American selection by Baseball America, and he strung together a stretch of 24 consecutive games where he reached base safely.

Allen has even drawn parallels to the son of the man who has coached him at San Diego State.

"I've got a comp to Tony Gwynn Jr.," MLB.com's Jim Callis said.

Indians use seventh-rounder on their first catcher

Seven rounds into this year's First-Year Player Draft, the Tribe took its first catcher.

Simeon Lucas heard his name called by Cleveland with the 218th overall pick on Friday. The left-handed-hitting backstop out of Grant Community High School in Illinois become the third prep prospect to land with the Indians on Day 2, following first baseman Bobby Bradley (third round) and lefty Sam Hentges (fourth round).

Lucas, signed to play for Illinois State, offers impressive pop at the plate while also possessing plus contact, and with a 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame at 18 years old, the young catcher could stand to increase that power if he fills out.

The major question with Lucas will be his defense. While he has showcased a solid arm, he may still take time to develop more of the glovework necessary to serve as a starting catcher in the Major Leagues.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.

Eighth-rounder Miniard latest Indians prep arm

The Tribe has picked up yet another high-school arm.

With their eighth-round selection in the First-Year Player Draft, the Indians selected Micah Miniard, a right-handed pitcher from Kentucky's Boyle County High School. The team has already landed three other prep pitchers in this year's Draft class -- Justus Sheffield (No. 31), Grant Hockin (No. 61) and Sam Hentges (No. 128).

Miniard possesses excellent size at 6-foot-7, 195 pounds, with a fastball that can reach up to 94 mph. However, more often than not, he'll work the pitch in the 87-90-mph range. He has signed a letter of intent with Western Kentucky and has a sister, Hannah, that pitches for the Hilltoppers softball team.

Miniard was named an Under Armour High School All-American in 2013 after posting a 2.24 ERA and striking out 76 in 56 1/3 innings as a junior. He also threw a no-hitter that season, and due to his success and potential, was thrust into the national spotlight among the scouting community.

"I feel like I'll have a target on my back now because everyone will want to hit off me," Miniard said to Boyle County. "I take [the attention] with a grain of salt. I don't really like the attention."

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.

Indians end Day 2 with college hitter Patterson

CLEVELAND -- The Indians ended Day 2 of the First-Year Player Draft the way they began -- with a left-handed positional player. But unlike power-hitting Bobby Bradley, 10th-round pick Steven Patterson is a contact-dependent college hitter that is polished but limited in upside.

The selection of Patterson, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound infielder from UC Davis, caps a day that saw the Indians commit themselves to eight young prospects, five of which come from the high-school ranks and five more of which were hitters.